eBook News

Vocabulary /vōˈkabyəˌlerē/   1. The body of words used in a particular language 2. A part of such a body of words used on a particular occasion or in a particular sphere: "the vocabulary of law".  (Google's define: vocabulary) Vocabulary is a basic part of any textbook or book, there is always new words to learn for each subject, with much of the new vocabulary appearing in the textbook's glossary. As for a students personal vocabulary, it only makes sense that there is a relationship between background knowledge and vocabulary: The more you know about a topic, the more likely you are to already be familiar with the vocabulary of that topic, although this can cause conflicts when students may be using words from a common context that they know to when that word is used in a specialized situations - such as for science class. Also it just makes sense that better readers have a better vocabulary, and vocabulary can be used to explain current and future reading ...

I have often read how we learn the meaning of words when reading though context, and that is a great thing. But often the new word's context can not even be understood or I often feel that language drift has cause the speaking and writing patterns to change over time that the words used and their meanings may have changed. Yes, of course we should look things up in the dictionary to find out what that new word means, but perhaps we are right in the middle of an exciting passage and we just don't want to stop right now, or we don't have a dictionary with us (or there just isn't a dictionary around right now - if you look in the modern office you will most likely not find one). I feel that a big part of the regular dictionary use is the actual process that occurs in the room while reading: you read the new word, now you have to stop reading, remember the word, walk across the room, look up the word, read the defined word, remember all the definitions, go back to the des...

Technology in and of itself is never the answer, instead I have usually found it to be about interaction and engagement with the content and the tools of learning. Yes, there may be some initial technology attraction that can help you push though the cognitive overload of learning with a new tool, but in the long run it is usually what you do in the learning that can really help. Here is where I think that ebook devices have the advantage over printed text, just that you can do things like interact with your textbook to highlight, bookmark, and take virtual "margin notes" (all things that you are not allowed to do with a school book). Educator: Classroom technology should be about student engagement The key reason to implement such technology as the iPad and iPod Touch in the classroom is student engagement, says Patrick McGee, the assistant principal of a Florida school. He says the technology can be used to increase productivity or involve students in activities that wer...

Here is a new ebook site with a twist. MeeGenius has a collection of books that can be read online, about six for free. The books are displayed on the screen and there is a read aloud option, that when it reads also does synchronized highlighting of the text (phonic support). As a bonus feature the user can adapt the book and change the names of the characters, so that if you wanted you could personalize the text to display the name of a student, creating a personal feature for the student with the book. MeeGenius: http://www.meegenius.com/store/books/free/